1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of medical electronics and, in particular, to electrical leads and devices for handling electrical leads.
2. State of the Prior Art
An electrical lead including an insulated conductor coil adjacent to a flexible base pad and a barbed electrode spaced adjacent to the base pad and connected to the conductor coil is described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 115,964 "Myocardial Sutureless Lead" filed by Kenneth B. Stokes on Jan. 28, 1980. The electrode is secured to the heart by gently inserting the tip of the electrode into the myocardial tissue. The flexible base pad limits the implantation depth of the barbed electrode and provides flexibility between the electrode and the lead.
When inserting the lead, it is beneficial to have the flexible base pad bent away from the barbed electrode, allowing the physician to visually locate the barbed electrode when the lead is inserted. Current practice involves the use of a surgical forceps to bend the flexible base back and hold the lead while it is being inserted. The use of a forceps results in extremely high, localized pressures being applied to the lead, increasing the possibility of permanent deformation of the lead. In addition, the present techniques for both grasping the lead and bending back the flexible base have proven to be somewhat awkward, complicating the insertion procedure.